A storm system brought cooler temperatures, some wind, and beneficial precipitation to the state today. As we’ve gone through the day, the precipitation has become more widespread and rain has gradually been switching over to snow. Due to the higher April sun angle and the warmer ground, the bulk of the snow accumulation during the day today has been on grassy/elevated surfaces, but roads are/have been slushy in some areas.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Widespread precipitation is likely this evening and tonight as this storm system continues to impact the state. This precipitation will primarily be in the form of snow, but there will still be a few areas of rain around this evening and early tonight, mainly in eastern portions of north-central Montana. Some of the snow that falls this evening and tonight may be heavy at times. The snow will begin to taper off during the second half of the night.
There will be some scattered snow showers around tomorrow morning, mainly in locations east of I-15, and there will be a few pop-up rain, graupel, and snow showers around tomorrow afternoon and evening. As we go through tomorrow, the skies will gradually clear out from west to east, so many of us will see some sunshine during the afternoon and evening.
In the lower elevations, most locations will receive less than 3” of new snow accumulation through tomorrow evening, but some of the lower elevations near the mountains and in Cascade County, Judith Basin County, and Fergus County, may receive up to 6” of new snow. In the mountains, 3-12” of new snow is expected through tomorrow evening.
A WINTER STORM WARNING remains in effect for the Highwoods, Little Belts, and Big Belts through 12pm tomorrow.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY remains in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front, portions of Cascade County and Judith Basin County, Fergus County, and southwestern Phillips County through 6am/12pm tomorrow. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY remains in effect for Valley County until 6pm tomorrow.
Roads will be slick/snow-covered in a lot of areas tonight and tomorrow morning, so please use extreme caution when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go. Road conditions will quickly improve as we go through tomorrow.
It will be breezy in some areas tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible. The strongest wind tonight will be around the Little Belts and in Judith Basin County and Fergus County. This wind will cause there to be areas of blowing/drifting snow and reduced visibility, so please use caution when driving. It will also be breezy tomorrow in western portions of north-central Montana and in central Montana as sustained wind speeds will be between 10 and 20 mph.
Lows tonight are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s, so it is going to be a cool night. Tomorrow will be warmer than today was as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s, which means the snow we received today and will receive tonight will quickly melt away.
Easter weekend will be a beautiful one as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. Saturday will be mostly sunny and Easter will be partly cloudy. Most locations will remain dry this weekend, but a few isolated rain showers are possible along the eastern half of the Hi-Line on Saturday and a few isolated snow and rain showers are possible in the mountains on Sunday.
It is also going to be mild and breezy on Saturday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low 60s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. The temperatures will then cool down a little bit on Sunday as highs are going to be in the 50s and upper 40s. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
The pleasant weather will stick around for the beginning of next week. On Monday and Tuesday, it is going to be partly to mostly cloudy and mainly dry. It is also going to continue to be mild on these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s on Monday and the 60s and low 70s on Tuesday. There will be little to no wind around on Monday. Gusty to strong winds are then expected on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible.
Another storm system will bring scattered snow and rain showers to our area Tuesday night into Wednesday. It is also going to be a lot cooler on Wednesday as highs are going to be back in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
